The many challenges for Congress's new Arjun

Known as a man of consultation and consensus, Mallikarjun Kharge has his task cut out for his new assignment as Congress president with his biggest challenge being to be under microscopic scrutiny for every single move irrespective of its significance and whether he stands up to the Gandhis.

A family loyalist, no one is expecting the 80-year-old veteran to be against the Gandhis but his presidency will be chronicled for how he balanced the independence of his chair and primacy of his predecessors Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as well as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

During the electioneering, the Gandhis kept themselves out and managed to maintain “neutrality” by not indicating their preference at least in public semblance.

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Kharge knows the importance and influence of the Gandhis in the Congress but the question is what role will the Gandhi siblings, especially Priyanka, want to play in the new equation and how the new president would be able to accommodate it.

With both Rahul and Priyanka being assisted by their respective strong-willed managers and offices, Kharge will have to be a factor in the treacherous power play in the Congress power corridors at a time a set of senior leaders who may not see him at par with the Gandhis trying to create parallel power centres.

More than the Gandhis, Kharge’s real problem will also be the senior leaders who will be vying for prominence in the new scheme of things. Kharge would be using his proximity to the Gandhis to ward off any breach of his authority.

While not many may make Kharge accountable for the Congress performance in the upcoming Assembly elections or the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, his immediate task will be to rejuvenate the organisation and capitalise on the gains achieved through the Rahul-led Bharat Jodo Yatra.

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The question will be how Kharge proposes to implement the decisions of the Udaipur Declaration 2022, which includes bringing 50 per cent of people below 50 years into party leadership. Whether he will also go ahead with the election to the Congress Working Committee will be watched by the erstwhile G-23 or change-seekers who have supported him.

There will also be anticipation about who will be Kharge’s 11 nominees to the CWC and whether he would constitute the Parliamentary Board will be other questions the party leaders will be eagerly waiting for.

Though elections to the Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat Assemblies are round the corner, one of the immediate tasks before him will be to deftly handle the Rajasthan situation without angering Ashok Gehlot’s supporters and keeping the Gandhis’ interests in mind, especially after the Chief Minister appears not to have best equations with the family.

Another one but less contentious will be to choose his successor in Rajya Sabha for the post of Leader of Opposition. Soon after he filed the nominations, Kharge had submitted his resignation letter to Sonia. He wanted Sonia to choose his successor but so far no name has been sent to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.